Page 58 of To Bed the Bride
“I doubt you could do anything that would scare me, Logan. I know you to be a gentleman.”
“Ah, but you don’t know my baser self, Eleanor. Or what I’m capable of doing. I want to take you back to Scotland. I want to keep you in my bed for a month or so.”
She could feel her cheeks warm even in the cold air.
He smiled. “Do you know how wide your eyes are? You’re shocked, I can tell. But you’re too well mannered to get up and run. Perhaps I should urge you to.”
“If I’m shocked it doesn’t mean I’m frightened,” she said. “Nothing you could say would make me fear you.”
He stretched out his hand and she put hers in it. “I never want you to be afraid of me, Eleanor.”
“How could I be?” She smiled back at him. “Besides, I’m a Scot. I can ride any horse at Hearthmere, even the stallion that worries Mr. Contino. A Highland storm doesn’t scare me and I’ve walked through a blizzard.”
If she was really fearless she would tell him that if he abducted her she would go willingly, to Scotland or anywhere he chose. Let him show her what passion was. She already knew desire. Every time they met she fought back the urge to kiss him. Every day she wanted to walk into his embrace, stroke his arms, or wind her hands around his neck.
She needed to touch him with a desperation that was almost physical.
She dreamed of him, passionate dreams that had her waking breathless in the middle of the night. The longing she felt dissipated so slowly that sometimes she and Bruce crept down the back stairs before dawn, standing on the lawn to let the cold night chill her skin.
Perhaps she and Logan were reaping what they sowed. The attraction had been there from the beginning. They should have fought it. Or, if that wasn’t possible, they should have been strong enough to stop meeting, knowing that each day would only strengthen the yearning.
She stood and walked some distance away, Bruce following. She hadn’t trained him today so he probably thought this was some new lesson.
The crunch of leaves was a warning. Logan’s arms encircled her and she leaned back against him, closing her eyes.
Please let me remember this moment. Please don’t let me forget this.
“Eleanor.”
Kiss me.Could she say that? Could she be brave enough to demand that of him?
This odyssey was ending. She felt rather than knew it. How could it continue? It was only good fortune that people were unaware of these meetings in the park. They’d been lucky, but she was a fool to think that they could escape detection forever.
She turned in his arms, put her hands flat on his chest, and met his eyes.
“These moments make the rest of my day bearable. I sometimes find myself awake at night, wishing I could push the hours forward until I see you again.”
She shouldn’t be saying these things, but how could she keep silent? This was Logan and the words belonged to him. Yet even as she spoke she felt the burden of her conscience. Nothing could come of this. They didn’t have a future together.
“Eleanor.”
How softly he said her name. How beautiful it sounded when he said it.
She leaned close and rested her forehead against his chest, wishing that circumstances were different. She’d beg him to take her away. They would be lovers and friends not just for a short time, but the rest of their lives.
His arms tightened around her, his chin resting on her head. She was content to stay this way forever, uncaring about a passing carriage or a horseback rider. Let the world stare. Let them whisper among themselves.Who are they? Why are they embracing in public? What is their story?
Perhaps they would think that she and Logan were star-crossed lovers, except that they’d only kissed. She’d imagined more and perhaps he had as well.
She pulled back a little, her courage bright and formidable. “Kiss me.”
“Eleanor.”
His honor was holding them both at bay. She didn’t want him to be honorable. She wanted him to tuck his decency into his pocket for a few minutes. Ignore the training of a lifetime, give her what she needed.
“Kiss me.”
She didn’t need to urge him a third time.
